My gorgeous little man is nearly 15months old and is still feeding. He has a feed for breakfast, sometimes after his afternoon sleep, bedtime and one or two overnight. I've always said that I'd let him b/f until he weaned himself but I'm finding that I'm starting not to enjoy it and I'm just absolutely exhausted. I'm just so tired. He is sitting here with me after his second feed for the night. I had four hours of broken sleep last night between him and his sister, I worked yesterday.
I know that it is only the shortest time and before I know it he'll be all grown up but far out I haven't slept through the night in I don't know how long. DS has only slept through the odd night in the last few months. I'm worried about night weaning him as I don't think my supply will keep up or will it? I work three days a week so on those days he doesn't have his afternoon feed and he misses either his morning or bedtime feed depending which shift I'm working.
I'm considering night weaning him before I completely wean him but I just can't do it because I feel so guilty. But surely after 15 months he can go a few hours without a b/f overnight surely!!!!
How do I get over my guilt and night wean him? I know that this won't help getting him to sleep more overnight but at least DH will be able to help me out so I'll get the occassional nights sleep. I feel terrible about wanting to wean him so I can sleep .
Sorry it's all over the place, it's 3.15am and I've had not even two hours sleep.
Big hugs. You have done an amazing job feeding him so long, esp the night feeds!!
Don't feel guilty - I night weaned my DD at 6mths, as I felt she was ready and I too was exhausted. She was feeding 4hrly, on the clock, and I just needed more sleep. And it'd only been 6mths not 15!!!
You are right - he probably can go longer without feeds now, usually by 12mths breast milk isn't their main source of food, it's in addition to family foods. So if you are ready to wean, that's completely fine.
It took us a while with DD, but basically it involved me using other settling techniques instead of the BB. It got harder before it got easier but we got there in the end.
There's a really gentle night-weaning process by Dr Jay Gordon - if you google that, you can adjust it to suit your own circumstances. Give it a go!
You could also try giving him cows milk during the day when he is looking for a bf, that might work.
Hugs again hun... My new DS is only 10wks and I'm already looking forwards to when I can night wean...
Thanks OP and Olive. I was in tears all night last night. DS was up from 12 until 4.30am and he just wouldn't settle no matter what I did but of course he wouldn't go to DH because then he wouldn't have had his bb's. It is honestly just wearing me down and so draining. In the same breath I tell myself that I am going to night wean him then I think of when I do an afternoon shift we don't get our bedtime feed so the overnight one is our catch up so I don't feel like we are missing out on that time IYKWIM. I'm just so damn torn!! Am I going to be ok if night weaning him results with us ending our b/f relationship??
I night weaned the twins at about 12 months because, like you, I was exhausted. It made a huge difference to how I felt, and I continued day feeding until 22 months. I had said I would feed until they didn't want it any more but they showed no signs of letting up so in the end the decision was mine. I felt incredibly guilty about my decision at the time, but in retrospect I am happy. I gave them a great start, as you have done, but there is only so long that I could go without a break.
I suggest you offer him a drink of water when he wakes in the night. If he really needs the milk this will not settle him, but most likely he will learn it is not worth waking up for water and will start to sleep a bit longer.
Oh sweets great advice above hun, for us I weaned the night feeds and he eventually dropped off all feeds at around 17 mths but you just never know he may be happy with just a couple during the day. I think it's really important to get rest hun, yes it is a short time in their lives but you have 2 toddlers, are a working mama and you need more sleep. Maybe the bottle of water or dare I say it, milk in a bottle might tide him over at night and you can go back to bed?
Feeling guilty about thinking about weaning DS
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she still feeds 3 times a day
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